The Great Farm House

As I was reading the beginning chapters of this biography, I could not help but stop and take note of Douglass' description of life on the "Great House Farm." Compared to his life on the first farm where he observed how slaves were treated by the cruel, heartless overseer Mr. Severe, life seemed to be a great improvement. The Great House Farm was where "the shoemaking, the mending, the blacksmithing, cart-wrighting, coopering, weaving, and grain-grinding" were performed (28, Douglass). This was where every slave on the other smaller farms that surrounded the Great House Farm aspired to work.

What I thought was interesting was Douglass' comparison of this great plantation to big businesses and the political hierarchy. Frederick mentions the entire plantation has business-like manner to it in the way it is run. He further states that "a representative could not be prouder of his election to a seat in the American Congress, than a slave on one of the out-farms would be of his election to do errands at the Great House Farm," (28, Douglass). Douglass also compared the slaves on the farms to the "slaves of the political parties," claiming some of the same character traits could be compared (29, Douglass). When slaves did receive the tremendous trust of their overseers or masters to run an errand involving the Great House Farm, Fredrick mentioned that they took this opportunity of alone time to sing. They sang whatever came to their mind, meaningful or not, just because they could and because no one would overhear most likely.  Douglass mentioned that the majority of their songs were full of sorrow and unhappiness, due to their horrendous living circumstances and constant suffering. 

Can some aspects of the "Great House Farm" Douglass describes be compared to corporations or regimes in the current world? If so, what is a specific example? Is Douglass' comparison of slaves on the plantation to "slaves of political parties" still relevant? Why do you believe it is or is not? Why do you think it was so important to the slaves to get the opportunity to sing?